Melnik is a really cute little town located in southern Bulgaria. Known for its wine, Melnik is a fantastic stop for any lover of fermented grapes. We also saw so many signs for different flavors of wine – I really wanted to try them all, but we were driving, so I had to make do with just the raspberry…
Ah, rewards. I was so nervous about this when I first started teaching with VIP Kid. Like, you want me to create a reward system for them? By myself? Me? I had no clue what to do!
It’s not as intimidating as it seems, though! And over time I’ve created some ideas that I really like.
I don’t really ski. Or snowboard. I did when I was a kid, and remember it being kinda fun. But even then I never remember loving it so much that I was willing to make 3.5+ hours long trek each way with my dad from Fremont to Lake Tahoe. That’s what ya gotta do if you wanna find snow in California, anyway.
And staying in Tahoe is expensive so we often did day trips, which meant super early mornings and a looooot of time in the car. Then we had to rent everything, and wait in line at the chair lift (and don’t try and tell me that getting on and off is not the most nerve racking thing ever), and because we didn’t go often there was always a learning curve during which I’d fall a lot and stare down a giant hill and wonder how EXACTLY I was supposed to get down that thing in once piece on 2 toothpicks of plastic strapped to my wobbly feet.
I traveled quite a bit in 2019 – I quit my job to become a digital nomad right at the beginning of the year, and thus was able to see a lot more than I did in 2018. Hence why I don’t really have a “favorite destinations of 2018” because I didn’t travel nearly as much!
If you’re curious about 2017, though, I gotchu – here’s a list of my favorite destinations from 2017.
And so, here are my favorite destinations from 2019 and ones you might want to think about for 2020!
I was still working as the Education Programs Coordinator at an environmental nonprofit. For the most part, I loved it. I’ll go into why I ended up leaving that job below.
I was also in a relationship that was about to end because I was leaving. That was tough, as we both still cared about each other, but neither of us wanted to do long distance.
And now, I’m writing this from Bansko, Bulgaria, a place I hadn’t even heard about back then.
So, I thought it might be fun to do a little recap of each month in the past year. This is honestly mostly for my purposes as I’m nostalgic AF and love reviewing the past (probably a little too much?).
But ya know, I’m also posting in the hopes that by sharing about my journey it might help others as well.
Have you ended up with one day in Hamburg and just aren’t sure what to do???
Well, let me do the hard work and plan the best day for you! You can just relax, follow this list, and see exactly what Hamburg has to offer. (Which is a lot!)
I’ve spent a total of 4.5 months in Hamburg so far (1.5 in the spring and 3 in the fall) so I’ve gotten around to exploring the city quite a bit. And, I had some help – I made friends with some locals and expats who showed me some insider spots, as well!
Here’s how I’d recommend spending one day in Hamburg:
So, once upon a time I decided I wanted to buy a new Canon DSLR.
On Black Friday.
At Walmart.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
Well, we went. Do I need to tell you it was awful?
IT WAS AWFUL.
There were some shelves of gifts wrapped in plastic scattered throughout the store that they only allowed people to open at midnight. Then once that time hit, Walmart let (encouraged) shoppers to tear the plastic off – and these gifts were big ticket items that everyone wanted.
It was literally like that scene in Mean Girls at the end of the movie – “It was full tilt jungle madness.”
And yes, I bought the camera. But I actually ended up returning it later LOL so all that struggle was for nothing and I am a fool. But anyways, after that experience, I vowed to NEVER go shopping at a store on Black Friday again.
I celebrated my 2 year blogiversary a few months ago (!!!!!) which was exciting but also like WHOA.
I’ve learned a lot and made a ton (like, a TON) of blogging mistakes along the way – most of them involve some sort of inaction or waiting too long. That’s a common theme I see in my life in general – I have something in my brain for way too long and just never end up doing it. So, I’m trying to take action quicker rather than mulling it over for ages, and just generally trying to work faster!!
I am also a notoriously slow worker because I just want to get everything RIGHT, and I honestly enjoy working slowly and HATE rushing haha, but it’s definitely something I’m trying to improve upon. But that’s a convo for another day…
I try to live with #noragrets (anyone?) but I do have some blogging tips and things I would advise someone else to do differently. Or tell myself if I was starting all over again.
And so, here are 12 blogging mistakes to avoid:
I would be absolutely STOKED to receive any of these items as a gift, especially since I’m a minimalist(ish) traveler that doesn’t want to have any extra items with me. These are all things I currently use or would love to have, and deem the best eco friendly gifts!
In this list, I’ve included items you can find on Amazon as well as the store Life Without Plastic. They’re an awesome company with a wonderful message, and I myself love to support companies like that.
